Card and Book
Ministry
Don’t let significant days go by unnoticed.
Why to send
“After a few months, the cards, the calls, and the visits all stopped. No one said it to my face, but they had moved on with their lives.”
How to host
- Recruit volunteers to help write cards
- Gather a list of widows’ contact information and significant dates
- Collect supplies
- Gather your volunteers for a card writing party
Contributing Creators
A special thank you to Day Spring for their contribution to this ministry guide.
Card Ministry
Advertise the ministry through your church and recruit volunteers.
Choose which significant dates you wish to remember the widow.
For example:
-Widow’s Birthday
-Spouse’s Heavenly Birthday
Some widows have shared that they want their spouse to be remembered. A card to her on his birthday would remind her that his life mattered and that he has not been forgotten.
-Wedding Anniversary
-Valentine’s Day
-Christmas
-Thanksgiving
Identify the widows in your church. The church office, woman’s groups, and church communities can be helpful in identifying the widows.
Collect supplies. Ask for donations from church members, craft stores, stationery stores, etc. You may use ready-made cards or make your own. The Dollar Stores have a great supply of cards.
Select a time and place your ministry will meet. Some card ministries meet once a month throughout the year.
On the day you work, organize your volunteers into different workstations: create, assemble, write and address.
Book Ministry
Stand in the Gap recommends Doug Manning’s, Special Care Book Series. The Special Care Series consists of four books designed to be read or sent to someone the third week, third month, sixth month and eleventh month following a death. They offer great comfort and gentle wisdom for grieving individuals.
In addition to the four 24-page books, the set comes with envelopes for mailing and a record card to keep track of when to send each book. Book 1 Discovering Permission to Grieve; Book 2 Discovering Significance; Book 3 Discovering Comfort; Book 4 Discovering Understanding; This is a great way to let a friend or loved one know they are in your thoughts long after the funeral flowers have faded.
Doug Manning also has a follow up book entitled Grief’s Second Mike, Beyond the First Year.
Stand in the Gap also recommends gifting new widows (or use it as a resource for your widow small groups) Donna S. Thomas’s Journal, Hope for Today and Tomorrow.
“Going through the loss of your husband is so hard. It certainly was for me. In these difficult days I discovered it was a great help just to write out my problems and pain and leave them in my journal. This journaling book is my gift to you to help you know that you are not alone and whatever you are feeling can be dealt with. It lists the different emotions and problems that hit us in the face and gives suggestions and ideas on how to conquer them. But it is your book, your grief, your plans, and your victory as you walk a new road now without your husband.”